25 Things I’ve Learned in 25 Years

The giveaways were amazing. Thank you to everyone who entered all my Instagram giveaways! It was overwhelmingly fun!

I hit 10K on Instagram this week as well and am already up the 10.1K! Check me out here! I also started a Twitter account! Find that here!

Preston and I are traveling for Memorial Day and we are doing a photo shoot later today and he starts his new job next week. I am in my last week before the summer starts. So all good things. But it’s been so many long days and long nights. I’m a tad burnt out. And I miss my students like crazy!

Also, Harvey has started doing this thing where he starts barking, whining, crying and jumping on us at like 6:00 am as opposed to his normal 7:30 routine. It’s been EXHAUSTING.

But we are also traveling so this is the part where we’re cleaning, and packing, and throwing stuff out of the fridge, and downloading podcasts, filling up the tank & the tires, etc. So that’s another added thing to do! Argh! But I am so excited about where we are going! I might be a little off the grid this weekend. Probably not totally – but at least a little!

Normally this is the part where I am being a total goof but I am tired and a little hungry!

But I had a great birthday (special thanks to my parents for making it extra wonderful!)

I’ve learned a lot in my many years.

So I wanted to share 25 things I’ve learned in 25 years about being a person.

1.) Life does not always take you where you think it will.

If you had asked me a year ago if I thought the blog I started on a whim that had 12 followers would blossom into a 10K-job-potential-boss-lady thing. I wouldn’t have believed you. I’d always worked in non-profits but I needed a hobby. And that’s what brought me to all of the lovely people I get to connect with all over the world!

2.) And on that same note – let it!

You’ll discover all the places that life can take you if you just let things go ‘not as planned’. Adventures are seldomnly born out of ten year plans.

3.) Always ask before petting a dog you meet randomly.

It’s just polite.

4.) There are four key things you should look for when looking at an apartment.

Outlets & their relation to where you imagine putting stuff.

Parking – street, parking lot, pay to park, rent a space, etc.

Overhead lights & fans – There’s nothing worse than seeing an apartment during the day – moving in and realizing that there are no overhead lights.

Storage – Closets, cabinets, drawers, etc. You never know how much junk you have until you can’t put it away.

5.) Definitely buy a resume template on Etsy.

Honestly, they look clean, professional, and design-y. I bought mine on Etsy. It was like $9. And I got WAY more calls and comments about it after I did it. It takes away from that Calibri-Times-New-Roman-All-Black-and-White fodder. Seriously, check it out.

6.) Always have a bathing suit.

Keep it in your car, your purse, your dorm, etc. You never know when there might be a pool or a hot tub and it’s REALLY hard to fake a bathing suit without just going in your underpants. Again, adventure is seldomly planned!

7.) General rule, mind your own business.

Like, stop getting involved in Facebook arguments with trolls. It raises your blood pressure. Try not to gossip. (totally guilty of this…like a lot.) It makes people not trust you. Don’t screen shot texts and send them. I literally get anxiety about people doing this to me.

8.) However, know what battles to fight.

Some guy at a bar was harassing a girl a LOT and even followed her into the bathroom off of the bar. My friend, Chrissy, all but KICKED THE DAMN DOOR DOWN to go in and make sure she was okay and tell that dude to back off and make sure she was safe. That’s a great battle to fight.

9.) Pants are ALWAYS an option. Not a necessity.

Self explanatory on this one.

10.) Try your hardest to not be ‘that guy’

Don’t be the guy that doesn’t tip the server, is a creep-a-zoid in a bar, a bitchy jealous girlfriend, the person who wants to speak to a manager because they won’t accept your expired coupon, the guy that doesn’t know how to merge, a Facebook arguer, Christmas ruiner, jerk face. Try REALLY hard to not be this guy.

11.) Don’t let other people shame you for coping with mental illness.

If you live with anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, PTSD, etc. – please don’t let other people that however you cope is wrong. Therapy is okay. Crying it out is okay. Seeking in patient care is okay. Medication is okay. Shutting down for a few hours is okay. Unless it is harmful to you – tell people ‘bite me’. Please do what you need to stay healthy. I have panic attacks pretty often and I’m grateful that Preston is a person that can just let me have a panic attack and not touch me or speak to me in a pity voice.

12.) You NEVER age out of needing to say please and thank you.

While my fave podcast (My Favorite Murder – any Murderino’s around?) loves to say to F*ck Politeness – you should say thank you to the stranger that opens the door, say please when you order a glass of water, and always remember your manners. No one is EVER mad at the really polite person.

13.) CHANGE YOUR DAMN OIL.

It’s like the easiest maintenance of the car. It costs like $40. It takes an hour and can literally save you thousands of dollars. I know people who never get their oil changed. Just do it. Based on miles. Please. Please. Change your damn oil.

14.) If you can’t dance – sell it with your face!

Listen, I’ve been in a lot of shows. And I cannot dance very well. Like at all. And my dear friend, Sean, who literally fake tap danced through an entire number with a big old smile on his face, told me that he just acted like he knew what he was doing and it totally passed. It’s a metaphor for life.

15.) Try to have a little perspective.

I struggle with this. I get really upset about things and take things personally quickly. I have to constantly remind myself to have a little perspective and know that this isn’t the end of the world.

16.) Give people a second chance sometimes.

I only ate Chipotle for the first time, like, three weeks ago. I had gone once in 2009 and refused to even try it. I tried again. I’ve had it like three times this month. It’s so GOOD. Also, and this is true, when Preston and I first met – I ghosted him because I thought he wasn’t that interested in me. And now we’re planning on getting hitched. Sometimes it’s worth it to try again.

17.) Rule 17: Never turn your back on bears, men you have wronged, or the dominant turkey during mating season.

If you get this reference from The Office – it is likely that we will get along in real life.

18.) Stay weird as long as possible.

People are always going to get you to grow up. Stay weird. Wear a princess crown on your 50th birthday. Make a blanket fort. Sing on the street. Tap dance in the grocery store. Eat pickles with peanut butter. Life is way weird. And that’s the best part of life.

You’re never too old for a goofy Halloween costume, to wear Heelies, watch Spongebob, cupcake pajama pants. You can still have slumber parties and rock a dinosaur dress. Make silly faces, dance in the grocery store, speak in accents when you’re passing through a small town, rent a car for a day just to see what it’s like to drive something different, spending a commute to work making ‘car noises’ with your mouth, or take a bubble bath. Wear a cape one day. You do you, boo boo.

For example: for, like, 18 months of my life – I refused to wear anything else except this Penn State Cheerleader uniform. And I did it. No regrets.

19.) I do not think you EVER need to fold your underpants.

No one cares if they are wrinkled. Everyone knows it’s more efficient to roll them so you can see them all. If they are folded – you can only get the one off the top.

It’s a waste of time. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

20.) Always know the limit of when you can no longer handle a situation alone.

A little personal story here. A friend of mine admitted that they were in a horrificially abusive relationship. I wanted nothing but to save them but I couldn’t handle it alone. I didn’t know what to do or even what I could do alone. I confided in another really close mutual friend and we made a plan. As a team – we were able to offer more support and options. But when that friend told me – they asked me to keep it private, but the more details I heard – I knew I needed help to help. Know when that time is.

21.) You’ll never forget your first big grown up purchase.

Preston and I bought couches AND a vacuum this year. Last year, we bought a bed. It’s a slight thrill to actually own things together. Is that dumb? But every time I look at our furniture – I’m so happy. We made a commitment to buy and even pay off things to build a home with…together.

22.) Embrace your stages.

I went through a stage of being a jocky swimmer, a Jesus freak, a hippie, and finally a theatre kid. I then settled on a sassy, strong leader, quirky dressing theatre nerd blogger boss lady. If you went through an emo phase or a stoner phase. Embrace them. We alllll have them. Preston used to be a guy who wore actual vintage Hawaiian shirts to school. We all have them.

23.) Talking on the phone has become a skill.

You shouldn’t be ashamed of loving texting, utilizing your cell phone, or all the apps and conveniences of modern communications. However, I do NOT see the merit of digging through a website to find out their hours instead of just calling and asking them. Order pizza on the phone – the PERSON can add an extra coupon. The website can’t. True. Companies are more likely to hire you if you know how to be on the phone.

24.) Sometimes you have to let your dad make you a grilled cheese sandwich.

My dad is notoriously over protective & incredibly kind when it comes to me. He is constantly checking in to see if I need anything. Food, money, a ride, advice, to lift that heavy box to my car, etc. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. And as I get older – I think it gets harder and harder for parents to deal with you not really needing them as much. So if my dad isn’t making dinner he’ll list everything in the kitchen and say he can make it for me. He even offers to make me some cereal. But I’m in my twenties. I am, for the most part, totally capable of providing dinner for myself. But everyone once in awhile – I let my dad make me a grilled cheese sandwich because I know it makes us both happy.

25.) Be whoever the f*ck you want to be.

Wear what you want. Do what you want. Love who you want. Be strong. Be happy. And f*ck everyone else.

SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!

The next few weeks have some awesome stuff planned! Some hauls, the LBD, etc, styling my mom Part II, Lindy Bop, Cherry Velvet, and more!

Do you want me to write a post about chub rub? I’d be happy to buy a few things and review them for everyone?

I definitely want to do more His & Her fashion. Do you guys like seeing Preston more?

Follow me on Snapchat for a more ‘day to day’ look at mine & Preston’s life!: @abby_cadabra

I’d really love to do that Barbie post. If anyone can seriously sponsor it – let me know. I think that would just be the coolest and most fun to do.

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Comment for topics you would like to see me cover! Like to help my self esteem! What do you think so far? More fashion? More lifestyle? Do you like the mix?

My next few blog ideas: Do you want to see my new house stock pile? Seasonal transition? Another haul? Maybe one about those ten pieces that make up a wardrobe. But I’m not sure. I want to know what you are interested in hearing about? My Top 10 Embarrassing Stories? 20 Facts from Your Blogger? A team up with another blogger? Haul? A show off of my Barbie lot? Want me to style you? Let me know!